The art is well aware of heat exchangers of the type made by laminating together a plurality of elongated plates to define a plurality of passageways for movement of a fluid therethrough. Each of the passageways is formed by the inwardly facing surfaces of a pair of laminated plates. The interior surfaces of the laminated plates generally define a central fluid conducting section located between reservoir sections at each end thereof.
As known in the art, adjacent of the passageways defined by the laminated plates have heat conductive fin strips located between juxtaposed, outwardly facing surfaces thereof. Adjacent ones of the reservoirs of the passageways are interconnected so that a fluid may flow through the plurality of laminated plates forming the heat exchanger. Heat exchangers of this type have particular utility as an evaporator for an air conditioning system in a motor vehicle.
This invention is directed to an improvement in this structure, which improves the heat transfer coefficient of the heat exchanger. The heat transfer coefficient of the heat exchanger is improved by establishing a multiplicity of pathways for the fluid to flow through each passageway so a greater turbulence is obtained and a greater mixing of the fluid to be cooled is also obtained . As an additional factor, the structure of our invention also increases the overall strength of the heat exchanger in its resistance to high pressures can be encountered during the passage of the fluid to be cooled therethrough.
A search on our improved structure was conducted in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. As a result of this search the following U.S. Pat. Nos. were cited: 3,312,451; 4,120,351; 4,182,399; 4,184,543; and 4,209,064. We shall discuss these patents briefly. However, we would like to say that we feel none of these patents either teach or suggest the particular structure which we will describe and claim in this specification.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,312,451, issued on Mar. 2, 1943, for "Welding Process." The welding process disclosed was used to produce a hollow body comprising rolled, recessed, complimentary heated elements. The method disclosed included rolling the complimentary elements together while still hot with recesses facing each other thereby to weld the element together by heat and pressure and simultaneously bending the body during the welding to impart substantially uniform curvature in one direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,351, issued on Oct. 17, 1978, for "Heat Exchanger Panel With Improved Header." The heat exchange panel disclosed possessed a system of internal tubular passageways connecting opposed headers at an angle of at least 91.degree. with respect to the direction of flow of a heat exchange medium passing therethrough. In this manner the headers are triangular in shape and the fluid entry and exit portions extend from the header in such a manner that they are provided with their longitudinal dimensions lying in substantially the same plane as one of the sides defining the outer boundaries of the headers.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,182,399, issued on Jan. 8, 1980, for "Process for Removing Heavy Metal Ions From Aqueous Fluids." This patent related to an improved method for removing corrosive heavy metal ions from aqueous fluids used in heat exchange systems. The method taught provides for the employment of a getter upstream of a heat exchange and in proximate contact therewith so that the getter removes the ions from the fluid before the fluid is introduced into the heat exchanger.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,543, issued on Jan. 22, 1980, for "Heat Exchanger Exhibiting Improved Mechanical and Thermal Stability." This patent disclosed a heat exchanger having a desired system of tubular passageways for a heat exchange medium. The heat exchanger was defined by opposite headers connected by connecting portions of the passageways extending therebetween. The passageways have entry and exit portions extending from the headers to provide ingress and egress openings for the heat exchange medium.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,064, issued on Jan. 24, 1980, for "Panel-Type Radiator for Electrical Apparatus." The patent teaches that the panel-type radiator extracts heat from fluid flowing therethrough. The radiator comprises a panel through which the fluid flows in a downward direction. The panel is made from two dished metal sheets having a line of vertical extending embossments welded together along a vertically extending zone and providing spaced vertically extending flow channels on opposite sides of the vertically extending zone. The portions of the sheets defining the walls of the channels are provided with vertically spaced embossments arranged on each sheet in a generally herringbone pattern with individual embossments extending transversely of the vertically extending zone via a path that slopes upwardly as the vertically extending zone is approached.
As is stated above, we feel that this prior art does not teach or disclose the invention to be taught and claimed in this specification. The reasons for this will become apparent when one examines the cited art and reads the remainder of this specification.